Not For Long … Thanksgiving Cup O’Chiefs

A hearty Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Times are tough, but we have so much to give thanks for in this great country. To family, friends and readers, thank you.

They call it the Not For Long League and have for years.

Why? Just consider some of the situations we’ve seen in this 2009 NFL season.

A month ago, Denver coach Josh McDaniels was the NFL’s boy wonder. After a disruptive off-season, the Broncos looked like they were headed for a long, long season. But after six games, Denver was 6-0 and McDaniels was being hailed as brilliant young coaching genius. QB Kyle Orton (left) was hailed for his play.

Thanksgiving night, the Broncos will play the New York Giants. McDaniels is no longer the brightest star in the coaching sky. His team is 6-4 and now in second place in the AFC West.

Not For Long.

At the end of September, the New York media was starting to buzz about a possible Subway Super Bowl between the Giants and Jets. After the third weekend of NFL action, both teams were 3-0. Jets QB Matt Sanchez (right) was the new star in the Meadowlands; just three games into his NFL career and he was being hailed as the next Broadway Joe.

Today, the Giants are 6-4, after starting 5-0 they lost four straight games. The Jets are 4-6, going 1-6 since they ended September without a loss. The bloom has fallen off Sanchez’ rose, as he now has 10 TD passes against 16 interceptions and he now has a 61.1 passer rating.

Not For Long.

By the time the 2008 season was over, rookie quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco were being hailed as phenoms and both Atlanta and Baltimore were teams of the future. Both teams made the playoffs with their rookie passers, and the Ravens made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game before losing to Pittsburgh. Combined, these teams were 24-12 including the playoffs.

Today, the Falcons and Ravens are a combined 10-10. Atlanta is five-games behind the division leading and unbeaten New Orleans Saints with six games to play.

Not For Long.

In the middle of October, the Tennessee Titans were considered one of the worst teams in the league. They were 0-6 and their three most recent games saw them lose by 20, 22 and 59 points. There was talk that Jeff Fisher, the longest tenured head coach in the NFL, was headed for the chopping block. Heisman Trophy winning QB Vince Young (left) was still on the bench, behind a faltering Kerry Collins.

Now, as November is about to end, the Titans are 4-6 after a win Monday night in Houston. After losing to the Jaguars earlier by 20 points, they beat Jacksonville by 17 points. They topped San Francisco by seven and Buffalo by 24 points.

And Young has started the last four games, with a completion percentage of 62.9 percent, three TD passes and a passer rating of 85.6, which is 15 points better than his career rating and 20 points higher than his rating from last season when he lost his starting job to Collins.

Not For Long.

Parity is alive and well in the NFL. After 10 games, there are eight teams at the top of the two conferences, sporting seven victories or more. There are nine at the bottom, with three victories or less. That leaves 15 teams right in the middle, with records from 6-4 to 4-6.

There are two teams at the top of the league, the unbeaten Colts and Saints. There are three teams at the bottom, winners of just one game: the Browns, Buccaneers and Rams.

Any team that can finish 10-6 has to be considered a potential post-season contender. With six weeks to go, that leaves 23 of the 32 with a chance. That’s as of today when the league has three games on the schedule for Thanksgiving.

But if there’s one thing we know for sure, not matter what it might be today, it’s Not For Long.

SIGNINGS, HONORS, INJURIES & MOVEMENT AROUND THE LEAGUE

• AFC – named Dolphins RB Ricky Williams offensive player of the week; Patriots CB Leigh Bodden defensive player of the week; Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles special teams player of the week.
• NFC – named Lions QB Matthew Stafford offensive player of the week; Giants LB Michael Boley defensive player of the week and Saints punter Thomas Morstead special teams player of the week.
• BILLS – placed G Seth McKinney on the injured-reserve list; promoted C Christian Gaddis from the practice squad.
• BROWNS – claimed DE Matt Roth on waivers (Dolphins).
• DOLPHINS – promoted OT Andrew Hartline from the practice squad.
• JAGUARS – signed CB Michael Coe.
• LIONS – placed S Ko Simpson on the injured-reserve list; promoted CB Jahi Word-Daniels from the practice squad.
• PACKERS – placed CB Al Harris on the injured-reserve list; signed CB Trevor Ford.
• RAIDERS – placed LB Jon Alston on the injured-reserve list; promoted LB Slade Norris from the practice squad.
• RAMS – promoted TE Eric Butler from the practice squad.
• REDSKINS – promoted QB Richard Bartel from the practice squad.
• TEXANS – placed S Eugene Wilson on the injured-reserve list: signed S Brian Russell.

FROM THE PAGES OF CHIEFS HISTORY

On November 26, 1961, the Dallas Texans beat the Oakland Raiders 43-11 at the Cotton Bowl. The Texans jumped to a 21-3 half-time lead and followed up with 22 points in the third quarter. It was a big day for RB Abner Haynes, who scored five touchdowns on four runs and one catch. Three of those TDs were scored in the third quarter on runs of one, 26 and 33 yards. Haynes finished with 158 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards. QB Cotton Davidson threw a pair of first half touchdown passes, of 30 yards to RB Johnny Robinson and 66 yards to Haynes. The Texans defense had five interceptions, as Oakland passes were picked off by CB David Webster, S Duane Wood, LB E.J. Holub (right), DE Jerry Mays and LB Tom Greene.

On November 26, 1972, the Chiefs lost to the Raiders 26-3 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Chiefs were never in this game, as they were only able to get a 40-yard FG from Jan Stenerud on the scoreboard. Oakland’s defense held the Chiefs to just 159 offensive yards, as they turned it over four times. QB Mike Livingston replaced starter Len Dawson and threw three interceptions. The Raiders ran for 255 yards, led by RB Marv Hubbard’s 93 yards on 13 carries. QB Daryle Lamonica threw a pair of TD passes: 14 yards to WR Fred Biletnikoff and 19 yards to TE Raymond Chester. CB Emmitt Thomas had an interception for the Chiefs.

On November 26, 1981, the Chiefs fell to the Detroit Lions 27-10 in a Thanksgiving Day game at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI. The Chiefs struggled against the Detroit defense, turning the ball over three times and giving up six sacks. The only KC touchdown was a four-yard run by FB Billy Jackson. K Nick Lowery added a 33-yard FG. Detroit got a pair of TD passes from QB Eric Hipple and a scoring run by RB Billy Sims (left), who finished with 64 yards on 20 carries. RB Joe Delaney ran for 77 yards and topped 1,000 yards on the season.

On November 26, 1989, the Chiefs beat the Houston Oilers 34-0 in front of a crowd of 51,342 fans at Arrowhead Stadium. Despite the firepower of the Houston offense, the Chiefs defense held them to 215 yards, with an interception and five sacks. LB Walker Lee Ashley had the pick and DE Leonard Griffin had 2.5 sacks. The Chiefs also scored on special teams, as CB Jayice Pearson returned a blocked punt one yard for a score. Offensive TDs came from RB James Saxon on a four-yard run, TE Jonathan Hayes on a seven-yard pass from QB Steve DeBerg and RB Christian Okoye on a 17-yard run. WR Stephone Paige finished with seven catches for 114 yards.

SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY …

Born on November 26, 1942 in Fetsund, Norway was Hall of Fame K Jan Stenerud (right). He was selected in third-round of the 1966 AFL Futures Draft out of Montana State, where he went on a ski jumping scholarship. Stenerud played 13 seasons with the Chiefs (1967-79), appearing in 186 games. He made 279 of 436 FG attempts, a 64 percent average. He added 394 PAT kicks, for a point total of 1,231. Stenerud played four seasons with Green Bay and two seasons in Minnesota before he retired having kicked in 263 games and scoring 1,699 points. He owns or shares eight Chiefs records. He appeared in two AFL All-Star Games and four Pro Bowls. Stenerud became the first kick inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the class of 1991. He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1992.

Born on November 26, 1939 in Albany, Georgia was K Tom Pennington. He joined the Dallas Texans in 1962 for three games. Pennington was out of the University of Georgia and was two of five on FGs and 13 of 15 on PAT kicks over those three games. That was his only appearance in pro football.